Honolulu, Hawaiʻi — Bishop Museum, the State of Hawai‘i Museum of Natural and Cultural History, reaffirmed at its recent Welo Ka Hae Hawaiʻi – Celebrating Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea event its proud partnership with the Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana (PKO). The Museum further announced a series of events in honor of PKO’s 50th Anniversary and a recommitment to Aloha ‘Āina (love and care for the land).

In an act of bold defiance against U.S. military might, George Helm, Emmett Aluli, Kimo Aluli, Kawaipuna Prejean, Walter Ritte, Ian Lind, Ellen Miles, Steve Morse, and Karla Villalba made landfall on the ravaged Hawaiian island of Kahoʻolawe on January 4, 1976. They were determined to draw national attention to the illegal role the United States played in the overthrow of the Kingdom of Hawaiʻi, and to protest U.S. military control and destruction of Hawaiian national lands. Their courage and heroism created the catalyst for the formation of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana and the birth of the modern Aloha ‘Āina Movement.

In conjunction with the maiden voyages of Hōkūleʻa in 1976, the value and practice of aloha ʻāina forwarded by the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana fundamentally changed the perception of what it means to be Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian).

“In 2026, the 50th Anniversary of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ‘Ohana is a time to celebrate and activate around their accomplishments,” said Brandon Bunag, Ed.D., Bishop Musem vice president of public programs and interim director of education. “These include stopping all military use of the island; refocusing the lives who call Hawai‘i home around the singular importance of our kuleana (responsibility) to aloha ‘āina; and, revitalizing the Makahiki and other ceremonies honoring Kānaka ʻŌiwi akua (Hawaiian deities).”

“Kaho‘olawe is more than an island,” Bunag shared. “It is a living treasure and a place of healing, education, transformation, restoration, and ancestral connection. We honor the commitment of the Protect Kaho‘olawe ʻOhana members through a half century of unwavering aloha ʻāina.”

Guided by the ʻōlelo noʻeau (traditional proverbs and wise sayings) from the Kuloloio ʻohana — “Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa” — the community will gather at Bishop Museum for three talk story sessions that explore the ways in which Kahoʻolawe teaches us how to consecrate, sustain, and solidify our relationship to ʻāina. The three presentations lead to a culminating event on the Museum’s Great Lawn, a festival recommitting to the essential value and ethic of aloha ʻāina. The ʻOhana and the Museum are excited to convene many of their partner organizations looking to meet the challenges facing aloha ʻāina today, notably the imminent Military Leases of Hawaiʻi’s public lands. Lending a voice to the modern movements are Keahi Piʻiʻōhiʻa, Pōkiʻi Seto, Kiliona Young, Kaʻikena Scanlan, Kimié Miner, Ikaakamai, Kekuhi Kanahele, and Kaumakaiwa Kanakaʻole, all of whom are featured on the ʻOhana’s “50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina” music album that champions the time-honored message of “aloha ʻāina for the generations to come.”

“The ʻOhana is honored to be hosted by Bishop Museum and excited to put out a kāhea to celebrate and recommit to aloha ʻāina.” said Kaipu Keala, a kua of the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana. “We want everyone who has ever been to Kahoʻolawe to join the festivities to galvanize the next generation of aloha ʻāina movements. Share your moʻolelo of Kanaloa, help us sustain the legacy of Kohemālamalama — not pau yet!”

Initial details of the three presentations and concert are provided below. The celebrations will also feature a new Treasure Case installation on the third floor of Hawaiian Hall, Kanaloa Ka Laʻa o Kohemālamalama: Unconquerable is the Divinity of Kohemālamalama, which commemorates 50 years of PKO ceremony on Kahoʻolawe. Additional details and ticket information can be found on Museum’s event webpage, BishopMuseum.org/PKO.

Laʻa: Consecration of Aloha ʻĀina in ʻAha

• Thursday, September 24, 2026 | 6-8 p.m.
• Hawaiian Hall | Kai Ākea
• Free admission

 

Maʻa: Establishing our Pilina to Kanaloa

• Thursday, October 22, 2026 | 6-8 p.m.
• Hawaiian Hall | Kai Ākea
• Free admission

 

Paʻa: Kanaloa kānaka i Kanaloa: Ea aʻe ka ʻOhana

• Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 6-8 p.m.
• Hawaiian Hall | Kai Ākea
• Free admission

 

50 Years of Aloha ʻĀina Live Concert: Laʻa, Maʻa, Paʻa!

• Friday, November 13, 2026 | 5-9 p.m.
• Great Lawn, Campus-wide event
• $35.00 Adults | $10.00 Kupuna (65+) | $10 Keiki (11-17) | Free for Keiki 10 and below

 

Proceeds from the concert will go directly to the Protect Kahoʻolawe ʻOhana.

Bishop Museum expresses its appreciation for the Atherton Family Foundation, Hawaiian Airlines, and Kamehameha Schools’ Kaiāulu for their sponsorship of these events.